Health

New Self-Help Series Starting Soon!

The next series in MHA’s Self-Help program will be Anger Management, beginning Wednesday, January 10, 2018.  This weekly series of self-help workshops is designed to be used by participants in mental health and/or substance abuse treatment programs, but all are welcome to attend.  The curriculum includes an overview of anger management, recognizing events and cues, designing your own anger control plan, learning about the agression cycle, working with a conflict resolution model, learning about anger and how it affects the family and much more.  Participants can attend as they are able, you don’t need to attend all of the sessions to be able to participate.

If you are an active member of the Mental Health Association in Essex County and would like to register for Anger Management classes, you can click here , call Kellie or Transportation at (518) 962-2077.

If you are not yet an active member of the Mental Health Association and would like to attend, please call Kathy at (518) 962-2077 and request an intake.  Please call prior to January 4, 2018 to allow sufficient time to process your intake.

Curriculum source:  Anger Management for Substance Abuse and Mental Health Clients, SAMHSA

The Kindness Rocks Project

On November 1 and 8, MHA will host two opportunties to participate in The Kindness Rocks Project.  We’ll be making rocks for ourselves and for the upcoming Survivor Day event on November 18.

Check out more details here:  Kindness Rocks Presentation

For information about participating in MHA’s Community Center activities, call our Westport office at (518) 962-2077.

Top Mental Health Researcher Suggests Link Between Opioid Overdoses and Suicides

Joshua Gordon, director of the National Institute of Mental Health, believes more work must be done on connections between suicidal thoughts and overdoses.
As fatal opioid overdoses continue to rise, the causes of each death have become all too familiar: They usually involve a lethal cocktail of heroin, painkillers, and increasingly, the powerful synthetic opioid Fentanyl. But often left out of these tragic stories is the inner turmoil going on inside each victim, and researchers have started examining trauma and depression as well as social connectedness as possible factors in the rise of overdoses.

In addition to the spread of painkillers and cheap heroin, some fatal overdoses may in fact be suicides. Dr. Joshua Gordon, the director of the National Institute of Mental Health, believes that there may be a stronger link between the opioid epidemic and suicide than previously realized.

“There are, of course, links between addictions in general and opioid addictions in particular and suicide,” Gordon told HuffPost. “There is a lot of concern that many of the overdose deaths could be suicides. We need to learn more about the prevalence of suicidality amongst opioid addicted individuals.”

Many of the same drivers behind suicidal thinking can be found in those addicted to opioids, from feelings of isolation and despair to economic anxieties and histories of trauma.
For complete article: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/opioids-suicide-depression-public-health_us_59d55486e4b0380b6c9a14e1

News from NYAPRS regarding the NYS Budget Deal: Housing, Workforce & Criminal Justice Wins!

NYAPRS Analysis of 2017-18 State Budget Agreement

Despite a turbulent process characterized by frequent fits and stops, a 3-way state budget agreement that was announced by Governor Cuomo last night and that is expected to be approved by both houses of the legislature over the coming days has turned out to be one of the best we’ve seen in a very long time.

NYAPRS members have a lot to be proud of! On February 28th, upwards of 700 spirited self and system advocates came to Albany to push for several historic housing and criminal justice initiatives, for long overdue increases to our long underpaid yet dedicated and skilled community workforce, for more community reinvestment dollars from state hospital downsizing and for an innovative pilot featuring a voluntary yet persistent approach to serving people and families in crisis.

Read more from the NYAPRS website

North Country Out of the Darkness Walk to Fight Suicide October 1, 2017

Join us for the North Country Out of the Darkness Community Walk on October 1, 2017 at the Olympic Speed Skating Oval in Lake Placid.  Registration/Check in begins at 11:30 am, the Walk begins at 1:00 pm.  Proceeds benefit local and national suicide prevention and awareness programs of the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, including advocacy for public policy, suicide prevention education, and support programs for survivors of suicide loss.  Register to walk, be a virtual walker, make a donation, volunteer or become a sponsor at www.afsp.org/northcountry.  Contact Shelby at 518-962-2077 or Shelby@mhainessex.org for more information.